Apparatus for extracting and delivering articles in amounts of uniform size

Abstract

Apparatus comprising an implement for extracting charges of uniform size of articles from a mass of the articles and delivering the charges to a receiver. The implement has a chamber for receiving the articles to form the charge. The chamber has a mouth through which articles are drawn into the chamber by applying a vacuum to the chamber. The implement then delivers and deposits the charge by releasing the vacuum. The chamber has a vent with an air permeable article barrier for access to a vacuum generator.

1. Apparatus for extracting and delivering articles in charges of a predetermined uniform size from a mass of the articles comprising:
 a. a vacuum implement adapted for picking up articles in charges of a predetermined size from the mass of the articles and depositing the charges at a selected location comprising a head at the forward end thereof for receiving a charge of the articles, the implement head having a mouth at a forward end thereof, an article-collecting chamber extending rearwardly from the mouth to a rearward end of the chamber, the chamber being of a size to hold a charge of the predetermined size, a vent at the rearward end of the article-collecting chamber and an air permeable barrier over the vent, the barrier having openings small enough to preclude passage through the vent of the articles, 
 b. at least one vacuum generator; 
 c. a conduit exterior to the implement chamber that extends from the vent of the chamber to the vacuum generator and provides air flow communication between the chamber and the vacuum generator; 
 d. means for relieving the vacuum in the chamber to cause an article charge in the implement to drop from the mouth of the chamber; 
 e. a receptacle at the selected location for receiving the charge, the receptacle being adapted to receive the charge dropped from the implement mouth when the implement is positioned at the selected location with the mouth above the receptacle. 
 
     
     
       2. An apparatus as in  claim 1  and wherein the air-permeable barrier is rigid and the volume of the implement charge-collection chamber has a volume of between 10 and 50 cubic inches. 
     
     
       3. An apparatus as in  claim 2  and wherein the air-permeable barrier comprises a grate. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus as in  claim 1  and wherein at least a forward portion of the implement extending to the mouth is tubular and the thickness of the tube wall is less than one tenth of the narrowest width of the tube at the opening. 
     
     
       5. An apparatus as in  claim 1  and wherein the implement is provided with means for adjusting the volume of the article collecting chamber to selectively increase and decrease the volume of the chamber, whereby to selectively change the size of the charge of articles collected and transported by the apparatus. 
     
     
       6. An apparatus as in  claim 5  and wherein the means for selectively adjusting the volume of the charge-collection chamber comprises a tubular portion of the charge-collection chamber, said tubular portion having a telescoping section, whereby the length of the charge collection chamber may be selectively lengthened and shortened to change the volume of the chamber. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus as in  claim 1  and which further comprises a container operably associated with the implement for picking up articles held in the container, the container having an opening into the interior thereof of a size and configuration to permit access of the mouth of the implement to the interior of the container and having an interior with an article mass reservoir below the opening and extending downwardly toward the bottom of the container, the reservoir of a size to hold a quantity of articles in a mass to provide a multiplicity of the charges and the container being stationed, relative to the implement, at a location where the container opening is accessible to the mouth of the implement. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus as in  claim 1  and further comprising a container operably associated with the implement for picking up articles held in the container, the container having an opening into the interior thereof of a size and configuration to permit access of the mouth of the implement to the interior of the container and having an interior with an article mass reservoir below the opening and extending downwardly toward the bottom of the container, the reservoir of a size to hold a quantity of articles in a mass to provide a multiplicity of the charges and means associated with the container and the implement for causing agitation of articles at the upper surface of a mass of the articles held in the container reservoir to mobilize the articles at the surface for pick up by the mouth of the implement at the surface. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus as in  claim 8  and wherein the means for causing agitation comprises means at the head of the implement for stirring articles at the upper surface of the mass in the vicinity of the mouth of the implement head and means for moving the implement head relative to the surface of the mass in a direction across the surface, whereby to cause the stirring means to agitate the surface articles for pick up by the mouth of the implement. 
     
     
       10. Apparatus as in  claim 9  and wherein the means for moving the implement head relative to the surface of the mass comprises means for rotating the container about the container vertical axis and means for moving the appliance head between the container vertical axis and the periphery of the container and wherein the stirring means comprises a tubular forward end of the implement head extending to the mouth. 
     
     
       11. Apparatus as in  claim 8  and wherein the means for agitating the articles comprises a vibration generator operably associated with the container to agitate the articles at the upper surface of a mass held in the interior of the container. 
     
     
       12. Apparatus as in  claim 8  and wherein the container opening comprises a implement mouth access port toward one side of the containers, the means for agitating the articles comprises means on the container for tipping the container upward and downward in the direction of the port and means on the container for funneling the flow of articles from the reservoir to the port when the container is tipped from an upward position at which the port is above the reservoir to a downward position toward the port at which articles at the surface of a mass of articles in the reservoir may become mobilized and the container is adapted to support the implement with the mouth at the opening communicating with the container interior, whereby, when the container is tipped to the downward position from the upward position, with the implement activated to cause the fasteners at the surface of a mass of fasteners held in the container to be mobilized and flow into implement mouth and thereby charge the implement with articles. 
     
     
       13. An apparatus as in  claim 12  and wherein the implement is detachable from the port whereby, when the container then returned to the upward position the charged implement may be detached from the opening and moved to the site of the receptacle for delivering the charge of articles. 
     
     
       14. An apparatus as in  claim 12  and wherein the reservoir has a wall extending upward to the port and in the direction of the port the reservoir wall is in the form of a trough inclined outwardly of the container vertical axis and extending in an upward direction and tapering to the port with a gradually decreasing cross-section transverse to the upward direction to the port, to thereby form the article funneling means and the means for tipping the container comprises a pivot on the container positioned for pivoting the container about an axis perpendicular to the direction of the port from the vertical axis of the container. 
     
     
       15. An apparatus as in  claim 12  and wherein the implement is detachable from the port of the container, whereby, the container may be pivoted downwardly, from an upright orientation toward the opening with the implement activated to cause the fasteners at the surface of a mass of fasteners held in the container to be mobilized and flow into implement mouth at the opening and the container then returned to the upright position and the charged implement detached from the opening and, moved to the site of the receptacle for delivering the charge of articles. 
     
     
       16. Apparatus as in  claim 12  and wherein the receptacle has an opening adapted for positioning in a receiving position below the port in the interior of the container for receiving articles dropped from the implement and the apparatus further comprises means for moving the receptacle between the receiving position for receiving a charge of articles dropped from the implement mouth and a retracted position at a distance from the port at which the receptacle does not obstruct of movement of articles at the mass surface to the port, and a pneumatic charge transporter for conveying charges received by the first receptacle to a receiver at a selected site more distant from the implement, the charge transporter being in flow communication with the receptacle and comprising a charge feeder at the selected site, the feeder having a chamber, a conduit connecting the receiver e to the feeder chamber at a feeder chamber inlet, the conduit adapted to provide flow communication therebetween for air entrained articles, and a conduit connecting the vacuum generator to the feeder chamber, at a feeder chamber outlet, and adapted to provide flow communication therebetween to cause, upon activation of the vacuum generator, air flow from the receiver to the feeder chamber, whereby to entrain articles of a charge dropped into the receiver to convey the articles into the feeder chamber, the feeder chamber adapted to decrease the flow velocity of article-entrained air flow between the inlet and outlet to cause the articles to detrain from the air flow and fall to and deposit in the chamber, and having means for withdrawing from the chamber and delivering to the receiver at the selected site the deposited charge. 
     
     
       17. Apparatus for extracting and delivering articles in charges of a predetermined uniform size from a mass of the articles comprising:
 a. a vacuum implement adapted for picking up articles in charges of a predetermined size from the mass of the articles and depositing the charges at a selected location comprising a head at the forward end thereof for receiving a charge of the articles, the implement head having a mouth at a forward end thereof, an article-collecting chamber extending rearwardly from the mouth to a rearward end of the chamber, the chamber being of a size to hold a charge of the predetermined size, a vent at the rearward end of the article-collecting chamber and an air permeable barrier over the vent, the barrier having openings small enough to preclude passage through the vent of the articles, 
 b. at least one vacuum generator; 
 c. a conduit exterior to the implement chamber that extends from the vent of the chamber to the vacuum generator and provides air flow communication between the chamber and the vacuum generator; 
 d. means for relieving the vacuum in the chamber to cause an article charge in the implement to drop from the mouth of the chamber; 
 e. a receptacle at the selected location for receiving the charge, the receptacle being adapted to receive the charge dropped from the implement mouth when the implement is positioned at the selected location with the mouth above the receptacle; 
 f. a container operably associated with the implement for picking up articles held in the container, the container having an opening into the interior thereof of a size and configuration to permit access of the mouth of the implement to the interior of the container and having an interior with an article mass reservoir below the opening and extending downwardly toward the bottom of the container, the reservoir of a size to hold a quantity of articles in a mass to provide a multiplicity of the charges; 
 g. means for supporting the implement and adapted to support the implement with the head downward into the container interior with the implement mouth facing downward, to hold the mouth at the surface of a mass of articles placed in the reservoir, during the collection of each charge, and to move the charged implement to a discharge location above the receptacle for the discharge to the receptacle of each charge, the receptacle being positioned at a site spaced from the surface of the mass of articles in the receptacle; and 
 h. a vibration generator operably associated with the container to agitate and mobilize the articles at the upper surface of a mass held in the interior of the container. 
 
     
     
       18. Apparatus as in  claim 17  and wherein the implement support means further comprises means for providing an intermittent upward elevating force in an amount greater than the gravitational force on the implement and carriage and for applying a residual upward force resisting downward movement, in an amount to partially offset the gravitational force on the implement and carriage at times when the upward elevating force is not applied. 
     
     
       19. Apparatus as in  claim 17  and wherein the support means comprises a sleeve slidably engaging the implement for movement of the implement along the path of travel, with the head of the implement extending downward beyond the sleeve when at the reservoir and being within the sleeve when the head of the implement is at the discharge position and wherein the means of presenting the receptacle at said receptacle location comprises a closure capable of closing off the sleeve below the head of the implement when the head is at the discharge position to form the receptacle for receiving the charge and of being movable out of the sleeve opening for clearing the said path during movement of the implement along said path to and from the reservoir. 
     
     
       20. Apparatus as in  claim 19  and further comprising means for injecting compressed air into the receptacle, whereby to facilitate the entrainment of the articles of charge deposited into the receptacle in the air flow to the feeder generated by the vacuum generator. 
     
     
       21. Apparatus as in  claim 8  and which further comprises means for supporting the implement and adapted to support the implement with the head downward into the container interior with the implement mouth facing downward, to hold the mouth at the surface of a mass of articles placed in the reservoir, during the collection of each charge, and to move the charged implement to a discharge location above the receptacle for the discharge to the receptacle of each charge, the receptacle being positioned at a site spaced from the surface of the mass of articles in the receptacle,
 and wherein the location selected for the receptacle is a distance upward from the reservoir and the implement support means is adapted to move the head of the implement along a path of travel from the reservoir through the selected position for the receptacle to a delivery location above said selected position suitable for dropping the charge into the receptacle at the said selected position and wherein the apparatus further comprises means for presenting the receptacle at said receptacle location when the implement is at the discharge position for delivery of a charge, and for clearing the receptacle from said path during movement of the implement along said path to and from the reservoir. 
 
     
     
       22. Apparatus as in  claim 8  and which further comprises means for supporting the implement and adapted to support the implement with the head downward into the container interior with the implement mouth facing downward, to hold the mouth at the surface of a mass of articles placed in the reservoir, during the collection of each charge, and to move the charged implement to a discharge location above the receptacle for the discharge to the receptacle of each charge, the receptacle being positioned at a site spaced from the surface of the mass of articles in the receptacle and a pneumatic charge transporter for conveying charges received by the receptacle to a receiver at a selected site at a distance from the implement, the charge transporter being in flow communication with the receptacle and comprising a charge feeder at the selected site, the feeder having a chamber, a conduit connecting the receiver to the feeder chamber at a feeder chamber inlet, the conduit adapted to provide flow communication therebetween for air entrained articles, and a conduit connecting the vacuum generator to the feeder chamber, at a feeder chamber outlet, and adapted to provide flow communication therebetween to cause, upon activation of the vacuum generator, air flow from the receiver to the feeder chamber, whereby to entrain articles of a charge dropped into the receptacle to convey the articles into the feeder chamber, the feeder chamber adapted to decrease the flow velocity of article-entrained air flow between the inlet and outlet to cause the articles to detrain from the air flow and fall to and deposit in the chamber, and having means for withdrawing from the chamber and delivering at the site the deposited charge, and wherein and the chamber has a cross section in the flow direction between the inlet and outlet that is substantially greater than the cross section of the conduit, a baffle positioned to interpose the flow from the inlet to the outlet to deflect the entrained articles away from the outlet, an opening at the bottom of the chamber facing downward, the opening adapted for dispensing articles deposited at the bottom of the chamber and a has closure that closes of the opening and is openable to release articles downwardly to the exterior of the chamber articles deposited at the bottom of the chamber and wherein the feeder chamber inlet and outlet are spaced upwardly from the chamber bottom.